Children of the Apocalypse
by Ghiralee15
Summary: All affiliations had one common necessity, the love of another. That included the Four Horsemen. Death is the only one in his own family to experience the loss of the love of his life, and it forever bears upon his shoulders. However, his one true love gave him two extraordinary children: Wraith and Necrosis. As talented as they are, can they rely on their father to save them?
1. Chapter 1 - Meet the Children

There was one thing that all the affiliations had in common: the need for love by another. Angels, Nephilim and Demons all had a need to be loved. This rule applied to even the Four Horsemen. War was the first to marry, soon after his sister, Fury, and then Death, followed by Strife. All the Horsemen had families, wives and husbands, all except for one of the Four, who had recently been widowed. As ironic as it sounds, it was Death. Being one of the last to marry in his family, he was the first to experience the loss of the love of his life. He reaped her soul with a heavy hand and a clear mind. He was used to the sharp pang of sorrow that came with losing a loved one, but when he had to send her soul to the Well, he nearly broke down in tears. At least she gave him two children before she passed, and they both are a blessing to their father. Their names are Wraith and Necrosis. Necrosis is Death's eldest child and she's also his namesake. She was blessed with the long and pale hair from her mother and yellow eyes streaked with beige, with the dark ring of youth around her iris. She had dark red lips that defined her face in every way. Her round features and large eyes made her look like the younger of the two, when Necrosis was four years older. Her younger brother was her complete opposite. Wraith had dark, long hair like his father, and purple eyes that shone. His features were sharp, and chiseled. He was a mirror image of his father, all aside from some minor differences, but they looked relatively similar. Death was a proud father, and he loved his children more than anything. He would do anything to protect them, and go to the ends of the world to keep them safe. Which is the reason why they live in a mansion in a distant realm from any danger. It was called the Oblivion Forest. There was nothing but trees, rivers, and old castles and other edifices, one of which the three had mad a home out of. It was a mansion made of glass and stone that belonged to a royal family.

* * *

Chapter 1 - Meet the Children

It was a rainy day in the Oblivion Forest. Dark gray clouds hid the golden rays of the sun, and in their stead left rods of lightning. The deep booms and shrill crackles resounded and echoed all throughout the land. The heavy rain made it practically impossible to go outside and play in the puddles. Necrosis and Wraith sat inside, watching the gloomy weather from their favorite room. Or at least their favorite room on days like this. This was the only room in the castle made entirely out of glass, from the floor to the ceilings. From this room, the could see anyone or anything coming near the castle. The two children were casually lounging in the room, sitting on the cool glass floor. Wraith was sitting in between his older sister's legs, reclined into her chest, her delicate hand stroking his raven hair. They both looked out and saw the oak tree with the blue ribbon on it's lowest branch, the one that they had made so many memories on. Necrosis had her first kiss on the top branch. Wraith lost his first tooth from falling off of the lowest branch. The tree was very important to the two, as it was to their mother. Before the children were born, she planted the tree the day they got married and found the castle together. Although they never met their mother, and most likely never will, they always felt these inclinations to keep their mother's memory alive, and they don't even know that they're doing it. Just like Wraith. It was part of his character to wear a black hooded cloak that she always wore. His grandfather gave his mother the cloak, and when Wraith found it hanging up in a closet in Death's room, he was so inclined to wear it, and it has been his favorite garment of clothing from then on. He hasn't let it out of his sight for more than a second. Anytime he saw there was a tear in the dark fabric, he would repair it as soon as he got home. It was only a shame that Necrosis had no 'memories' from her mother. She only looked like her mother, but that was the only part of it. She had her mother's intelligence and quick thinking. Her mother was a master swordsman and she owned a fine collection of all types of swords from all different worlds. Death keeps them all in his closet. It's surprising how Wraith didn't find the swords instead of the cloak.

In the distance, Wraith saw the green fire underneath Despair's hooves. The two children ran down the spiral staircase and waited for their dad to come inside the mansion. Before Necrosis ran to the door waiting for her father, she grabbed a towel from the bathroom and folded it, ready to give to Death when he comes in. The sound of the horse being banished to the earth was the last thing that the two heard before Death came into the mansion, completely soaked to the bone. Necrosis handed him the towel as he set the heavy satchel of items gently down on the floor. "So, how did it go?" Necrosis asked, taking the towel from her father, seeing that he had dried.

"It went well. Wraith, I got your pomegranate." The young boy sprung up and reached for the bag and sifted through the contents. "Necrosis, i got you something to." Necrosis' eyes lit up when he said it. She didn't ask for anything, and all she saw in the bag was even more fruits.

"Where is it?"

"Upstairs. Come." The two walked up the stairs, Death's arm around his daughter's shoulder and the younger boy behind them, already eating his pomegranate. They entered the master bedroom. "Stay here and close your eyes." Wraith stepped back and watched as the shadow of his father's true form brought two boxes and set them in Death's hands. "Open your eyes." She opened them and saw two ornately decorated boxes. One was made of stone, and carved with the symbols of the affiliations. The other was a obsidian box, smooth and matte.

"What's in them?"

"You have to open them and find out, you can open both, but just be careful with them. This is old stone, and even more ancient obsidian." She took the obsidian box first and opened the dusty box. There were two guns, bound in off-white bindings to protect the shine of the marvelous weapons. "These guns belonged to your uncle Strife. These were the ones he trained with when he was around your age." She mulled over the facts and took one of the firearms and examined it. They were in amazing condition, and they would feel relatively light in her hands. She set the gun back in it's little indent in the box and closed it gently. Next was the stone box. She set the obsidian box down on the floor, and took the heavier container. She couldn't tell if the weapon inside was the thing that made the box heavy or if it was the stone itself. She looked closely at the box and saw the incredible detail of the stonework. Ages upon ages of weathering and deterioration gave the box just that much more character and it made it even more spectacular. She opened the box, the content inside was a sword, and a few stones inside. She gasped in awe.

"Who did this belong to, father?" Death coughed. This sword belonged to her mother. It was her most prized sword, and she took more care of this one than any other. The rest of the steelworks were just for show, but this was the sword that saved her life many a-time from danger. When she was in the Hellguard, she used that blade, and felled more than one thousand demons in her life. This sword meant more to her than life itself, and she would never let it go.

"I think your mo-.. grandmother." He almost slipped up. He had the perfect alibi and it almost slipped.

"Wow... this is amazing." She couldn't take her eyes off of the gorgeous sword. The way it glistened in the lowest of lighting was outstanding. She touched the edge, feeling the flesh being torn with barely any contact. This was perfect. She took the sword and saw that there was a strip of black in the center with silver designs within. She could see her own reflection in the steel.

"What do you say we take this for a test run?" She smiled and clenched the weapon tighter. "But first.." He turned briefly and pulled another box from under his bed. He returned and offered the container to her. When she opened the box, there was a full assortment of different sheaths and other holsters within. There were so many that she couldn't choose. After about thirty seconds of sifting through, she found the one that spoke the loudest to her. It was a black steel sheath that practically went with the sword. There were a few thick bands of mahogany colored leather about the steel. And at the very tip, there was a gold piece with a carving that looked like a demon tooth or a horn. It was a beauty, but pales in comparison to the splendor of the sword that was to be placed inside of it. He tied the leather around her waist and placed the sword safely inside it.

"Thank you, father." She hugged her father and kissed his cheek. The rider smiled and patted her back.

"Wraith, gather your daggers, we're leaving in a few minutes." Wraith left the room and left his father with his sister. "If we do get into trouble while we're out, I want you to stay behind me, or try to fight. If you fall, I'll be there to pick you up and keep you safe." She nodded, hugging her father one last time. Wraith came back with his three lucky daggers in his boots, and then they were off to a not so distant castle.

The place was enormous. The entire castle was about five stories tall, at a minimum. The three entered the edifice through the large steel-reinforced wooden doors. From the inside, the echo of the still down-pouring rain sounded like it could have came from inside the ivory masterpiece. They climbed up the spiral staircase, and found one of many hallways with all the doors open. Death and his son walked the hall, back to back, their weapons raised looking through every door. Necrosis walked behind them and began to braid her long, pale hair. She looked at all the plain, dull and white rooms until she came across one of the rooms that was decorated in pink and frills. _This might be interesting..._ She walked into the room and saw that there was a huge walk-in closet. There were mountains upon mountains of dresses and skirts. She turned her nose at each and every one of them. As much as she liked wearing dresses and skirts, she despised wearing **_pink_** dresses. She was never dressed up in pink. Her father only gave her the colors that suited her personality when she was little. Now, she wore all black, there was nothing wrong with it, and it made her pale skin look heavenly, despite the fact that she looks more demon than angel. She exited the closet and looked at the dresser in the far corner of the room. When she got to the wooden bureau, she noticed that it was warped and mildew covered it entirely. She opened one of the three drawers, and saw nothing but moldy clothes. She closed it in a split second. She opened the one below it, and saw many different types of buttons. _This person must have been a hoarder.._ she thought. She closed that one and the top one contained a jewelry box. She took the item out of the deep drawer and opened the box, hearing the sweet tune upon opening. She chuckled a bit when the tune ended. She sifted through the box and at the very bottom, she found what felt like a ring inside a leather bag, bound up with wire. She took off the wire, almost hurting herself with the rusty metal. When the wire was off the bag, she heard her father's voice calling her.

"Necrosis, where are you?"

"Uh, I-I'm in this pink room." She continued to free the ring from its confinement. When the ring was out of the bag, it was a brass ring with an incantation in the inside. It seems like the 'princess' cut a deal with some demon. She read the incantation in her head, feeling some dark energy coursing through her body. She smelled something metallic, and wiped her nose and saw dark red blood. It was old blood, and it was just now coming out of her nose. She gasped and stuffed the ring in her pocket, and ran out into the hallway and bumped into her father.

"Necrosis, are you feeling okay?" His pumpkin eyes were drawn to her bloody nose. He wiped the blood away from her nose, and held her chin up.

"I think so." The smell of the metallic and old blood was still there in her nose and she knew it wasn't going away for a while.


	2. Chapter 2 - Among Daisies There's Lies

Chapter 2 - Among Daisies There's Lies

It wasn't very long until the three returned to the mansion to take care of the bloody nose that cut their little expedition short. Death at his daughter down in the living room in a wooden chair and gave her some water and a towel.

"So, what happened when you were in the pink room?" Her little brother sat next to her, all ears for what she had to say. He put his hand on her leg, and felt something solid there. He paid it no mind, and continued to look up to his sister.

"I actually don't know. I was just looking in there, and then my nose started bleeding. It might have been the miter in the air, i don't know." The blood still kept pouring out, and it made her feel lightheaded. Just sitting in the chair, she could feel the weakness of the loss of blood taking over her. She could still feel the ring in her pocket. It was surprisingly warm.. and getting slightly hotter with each second.

"Necrosis, Wraith and I are going back out. Is there anything you may need?"

"Something to eat, I feel lightheaded." Death walked over to his daughter and picked her up, bridal style, and carried her to her room. He set her down gently, and tucked her in.

"Do you want Wraith to stay with you?" She snuggled up in her blankets and shook her head. The rider kissed her forehead and stroked her white hair.

"I love you, dad."

"I love you too, Necrosis." With that said, her father stepped out of the room and closed the door. When his footsteps grew out of earshot and the large stone doors had opened and closed behind the two, she sat up in the bed and pulled the ring she had stuffed carelessly in her pocket out. The ring was fairly hot, and it was sure to leave red marks on her hands from touching it. She looked at the incantation inside one last time, remembering the dark power that clouded her mind when she so much as even thought of the powerful words. She was so inclined to say it aloud, but she had no idea what would happen if she said it. Black spots dotted her vision and she took a deep breath in and out before rehearsing the line over and over in her head.

" _Repetit Vocat Hic Mundus Periclitatur._ " Oh. No. When she said the words, and even though they were in a completely different language, she heard them clear as day in a language that she could understand. She had summoned a demon.. that _takes_ people. She dropped the ring, her breath becoming shaky. She wiped the newly forming sweat off her face, it was getting hotter and hotter. She vigorously kicked the blankets off her body, trying to escape the heat. She hopped out of the bed, that was scorching hot, and felt the strong strain of vertigo. The entire room was spinning, and she almost collapsed on the floor. She took one step, which felt like moving a ton, and she finally fell. Her breath was slow, and her vision was blurred. She crawled on the cold floor, trying to get out of the raising heat. She heard a deep and booming voice behind her. Whatever strength she had left, it was gone now. Her breathing was unfocused and she started to tremble. She took one glance behind her, and saw a demon with no legs, staring at her. A gasp of horror left her mouth, and she struggled to crawl out of the room.

"You..." the low voice boomed. "You summoned me." She rolled over, facing the horrific demon. He was literally just a torso, with a huge upper body and two large horns that curled to the back of his head. It crawled over to her. "Speak, flesh. Why do you summon me?"

"I didn't know..." she stuttered. "I didn't know what would happen if i said it." She put a hand over her forehead, a splitting pain washing over her. She was going to pass out if she didn't get out of that room and banish that abomination back to its rightful and wretched pit. She started looking around for the ring, only to see the demon right in front of her face. She gasped and immediately felt a chill run down her spine. The image was burned in her brain and she felt like she needed to cauterize her own eyes. She drew her sword in a split second and stood to her feet, despite the fact that she felt weak and she was contaminated with vertigo.

"Foolish child," it laughed. "Drawing your sword against me." It was that exact moment when everything went bleak and she stumbled and struggled to keep her balance. _No... I will **not** fall again. _She took deep breaths, her weapon still raised.

"Leave this place." Her voice was a malicious and low growl. The legless demon chuckled and took the ring up off the floor and pt it on his index finger.

"The daughter of Death should know that I always get my man, When I am summoned. And look around you!" He outstretched his bulky arms. "There's no one else here! So you..." he pointed a long and bony finger at her. His nails were black and sharpened to a point, much like talons. "You're coming with me." The ring was still on his gross hand. If she remembered the incantation down to the letter, he would be banished.

"Repetit... uh Vocat..." she muttered to herself. The demon laughed at her struggling.

"You idiot! You don't even remember the words!" The abomination was hysterical. A surge of rage coursed through her and soon enough, the words came to her in her own native tongue. They didn't sound familiar, but they would surely help her out about now.

"A Caedem Cantet, A Acerbumdulce Finem." It was a surprise how these words came to her, and how she heard them in perfect clarity after she said them. What she didn't know was that this one 'talent' she had was one of the many blessings her mother gave her when she gave her life. Necrosis never was the best with necromancy. Neither was her mother, and yet they both could get out of tight situations when provoked. In less than a split second, a red and black portal appeared next to her head, and out came thirty crows with pointed beaks, ruffled feathers and talons sharper than razors. They pecked and clawed mercilessly at the demon, leaving bloody and black scratches on his face and arms. He swatted at them, but once he got one out of the way, another was in it's place. "You honestly think that these crows could phase me You truly are foolish." A ring of Hellfire rose around him and the crows burned in its inferno. He crawled towards the girl, grabbed her by the ankle, and pulled her down to the floor. She tried to kick him off, but his grip wouldn't budge. Her breathing became labored and unfocused the more she kicked. She heard the great stone front doors open, Death and Wraith had come home.

"Dad! Help!" Whatever morsel of strength she had left, it was gone now. She saw the dark spots clouding her vision. Her arms started to give way, as the abomination that clung to her ankle dragged her into the pit. She looked to the door, and saw her own father running after her, but she was already halfway into the dark and fiery hole. Everything after that was black...

* * *

She woke up in a well lit setting. There were no more spots along her vision, but her eyes were a bit puffy at the under eyelid. She felt her nose and felt no blood, but the metallic aroma remained in her nose. There was no one in sight - not a single soul. She was cold, and the second she exhaled, she saw her breath. It was as that moment when she realized where she was. Her father had taken her to this place before when she was little, but it just seemed... off. This place is called The Autumn of Life, but this seemed more like Winter. This place is usually teeming with life, but now it is silent, not even the gentle pitter-patter of leaves hitting the ground, nor the humorous chatter of the tree rodents. If Death hadn't chose the Oblivion Forest for them to live and grow up, this would have been their home. This land is ancient, but fertile, and every tree that bears fruit, with its roots that run deep through the earth, every animal inhabiting the land was blessed by the Angels of Old, and there is no disease present.

The wind blew her hair, and she looked in the direction from which it came. It was already cold enough, as is, and to add wind chill to the mix, it was like hell in winter. She felt a tap on her shoulder, startling her. She turned around and saw a man, who towered over her. She took a step back, still in shock with this man suddenly appearing out of thin air. Literally. "Are you okay?" His jawline was sharp and his light purple eyes were deeply set in his face. His hair was chestnut with light undertones of ox blood red. "I saw you just fall from the sky." Her eyes widened. It felt like she had been on the grass for years, and yet, this mysterious man is telling her that she just landed... from the _sky_ , and not a single bone broken, not a bruise anywhere.

"Y-yeah.. I'm okay." She dusted her dark clothes off and wrapped her arms around her body. That chill still hadn't gone away for anything, and she felt the goosebumps forming along her skin.

"You must be freezing. Please," he touched her shoulder, and directed her in the direction of a small cottage off in a brush. "Come inside, I can't have you out in the cold like this." The two side by side through the brush and into the little cottage. Right when she stepped inside, she was greeted with the warm embrace of the fire blazing in the back of the room. She inhaled deeply and walked further into the cottage. The man stepped lightly about the place. He hung his coat up near the door and stepped off into a room.

"Thank you for letting me in your home, Sir." She said it in the most polite way she could muster.

"Oh, it's no problem. Please, make yourself at home, I'm just putting some coffee on." She walked over to one of the couches and sat down there. The entire place was littered with little trinkets and paintings hung up on the walls. One of the paintings was of a rather large woman, wearing what looked like the Nephilim's traditional dress. She owned something similar to that, back home... She shook the thought off her mind, and continued to look around. The tall man came back out with two mugs of coffee in his large hands. He handed her one, sitting down in the couch opposite of her. From this angle, she could get a better look at his face. His nose was large compared to the rest of his face, but it was sharp and almost pointy. His lips were relatively thin, but they were almost hot pink. The way all the colors of his features clashed was near heavenly. She couldn't exactly put her finger on it.

"Considering the fact that you just fell from the sky," he chuckled. "Where do you come from?" He leaned in and gave her his full attenton. She shifted nervously in her seat and sipped on her coffee.

"The O-Oblivion Forest."

"Oh, my. You're a long ways from home." The giant man took a gulp of coffee and set his mug down. "OH!" He exclaimed. " _Where_ are my manners today! My name is Rephaim. And yours?"

"Necrosis." She answered simply, unsure of who this man was and what he stood for.

"That name sounds familiar. You say you're from the Oblivion Forest... Oh! You're Death's daughter. I knew I recognized a child of one of the Four anywhere." She shifted in her seat again and gave a nervous chuckle. She buried her face in the coffee mug, inhaling it's sweet aroma and letting the steam warm her face.

"Many people know my brother more than me, to be honest." The man raised his eyebrows slightly at her statement.

"You have a brother? What's his name?"

"Wraith."

"I wouldn't expect Hellion to name her child something like that." Uh Oh... He let out the big secret.

"Hellion?"

"Yes, Hellion. Your mother?" He added salt to the already pulsating wound.

"I have a mother...?" After almost thirteen years of being alive, she never knew her mother. "Where is she?"

"From what I know, she passed about.. twelve years ago?" That was almost her entire life. How could her own father keep this information from her?! This was spectacular! She had a mother! But it was too late to meet her, she had already passed on. But wait... Death said he had been to the Well of Souls many a-time, why didn't he take her to see her mother? Not just her, why didn't he take her brother to see his own mother? She had so many questions, but no one to answer them. The man in front of her only had so much knowledge about the situation, but he didn't know the full story from his own experience. He had just heard stories and rumors about it, he wasn't there for it.

"I-is there a way I can get back home?" She was close to tears, but a heated rage boiled inside of her. She needed to talk to her father as soon as possible.

"Oh, I don't know. The Oblivion Forest is a long shot from here, it'll take about three days to get you home." She sighed heavily, and put her free hand to her forehead. "Sorry, kid." She stared down into the black pool of coffee and saw her reflection in it. It almost reminded her of a portal.. _The_ Portal. The Taker's portal! But she didn't remember the words... She looked in her pocket, still having the leather bag that was tightly bound in and around the ring for almost decades, the imprint was most likely still there. The man in front of her watched her every movement. She thought the words in her head one time before saying them aloud.

"Repetit Vocat Hic Mundus Periclitatur." She gasped as the portal opened above her head. A pair of arms came down and took her up into the portal. She dropped the leather bag on the couch, leaving her only way home behind...


	3. Chapter 3 - I Must Sow Poppies

Chapter 3 - I Must Sow Poppies

Death was in a panic. She just slipped out of his palm, in the blink of an eye, and he wasn't quick enough to save her. He poured all of the blame on himself. He had lost his only daughter to a demon, and he had no way of telling where she was. He sat in Necrosis' room, on his knees, wallowing in his guilt, some tears streaming down his face. Wraith came in the room and sat down with his father. He felt equally as bad for not volunteering to stay home and watching over her. He felt the small inclination to, but he ignored it, and instead went out to get her something to eat, which didn't even take any more than three minutes to do. The young boy wiped his eyes, the wave of guilt crashing over him just as much, if not twice as much, as his father.

Come nightfall, Death sat in his room, staring out into the window, the rain still pouring from earlier today. He had to make this right somehow, and he was determined to do whatever it took to get his daughter home safe and sound. The young boy walked into the room.

"Father, I think you might want to hear this." Death turned around to his son.

"Come, sit." The reaper sat down and his child sat next to him on his bed.

"I.. When we got back home from that old castle, and Necrosis had that nosebleed, I felt.. I think a ring in her pocket." Death's titian eyes almost lit up.

"She found it in that.. Pink room. We have to go back, if there's one thing that will help, there's bound to be more."

* * *

The two rode in the darkness and the cold rain. The grunts of their horses were the only sounds audible. Both men were silent for the duration of the ride. In a matter of minutes, they banished their horses back to the earth and stormed inside the castle. Four sharp eyes looked for the room in specific. It wasn't long before Wraith had spotted the room the target room. Wraith picked up the music box on the floor and started sifting through the contents. All he could find was the same stuff that made Necrosis uninterested. But then he saw something shimmer at the way bottom. It was a blue jewel, carved like a rough hexagon. He touched the jewel and burned his finger. He winced and his father scowled at him.

"Wraith, this is no time to mess around."

"No, father, I... I see something." He kept his finger on the blue jewel, despite the intense heat. He could see the Autumn of Life just plain as day. He couldn't see anything else there, but just the trees and grass. "It looks like... that place you told us about, when we were little."

"The Autumn of Life. The Taker must have taken her there. In this time of year, it's almost below zero degrees, she could be dead by now!" He only worried himself more and more with each thought that ran through him.

This was his only daughter, and it was the only daughter he would ever get. If she was really gone, he wouldn't know what he would do.

"Dad, if we go there now, she still might be there. She could be okay!" Wraith had always been an optimist and the voice of reason. He reminded his father that everything would be alright. But Death seemed to turn the idea over.

"Do you know how long it would take for us to get to the Autumn of Life?" His expression had changed from bad to worse. He was stressing out, and Wraith was adding to it. "Almost three days."

"Dad, I know. I'm dedicated to finding my sister. If you're not dedicated…" he pursed his lips and inhaled sharply. "Then step aside. I'll find her, and bring her back safe and sound."

"No." He said it simply. "I can't lose both of my children at one time. Dedicated or not, I'm coming with you." Someone has to watch over you." He said it with a smile, assuring the young boy that he was okay.

"Thanks, Father." He wrapped his arms around him and squeezed tightly.

Necrosis found herself in an eerie place. It was gray and lifeless. There were no leaves on the withered trees, and the soil was dry and cracked. Stones with skulls carved into them littered the very foundation of the place. There was a strange green aura about the area. The sky was gray but everything underneath it was bright. The area she was walking in was most likely a neighborhood, from all the shacks and stores with boarded up windows and doors. It was only that moment when she saw a large castle in the horizon. The eerie green glow around it gave away just where she was. It was sad that she didn't recognize it sooner. She was in the Kingdom of the Dead. With her new knowledge, she could figure out the real story of her mother 'Hellion.' Whoever Hellion was, she had to find her as soon as possible and learn everything about her. If she had passed, this would be the place to find her. It was the Kingdom of the Dead, after all. She had to be in the archives somewhere, alive or dead.

It took her no longer than ten minutes to reach the Eternal Throne. There she saw a ring of soldiers, their bright and eerie glow shining proud and strong. There was a smaller specter in their midst. He trekked around, sharp and black eyes watching their each and every move. Those eyes shifted their gaze to her, as she approached the ring.

"What have we here, men?" All the soldiers turned and stared at the girl. "The daughter of Death? Here? In the Dead Kingdom?" He asked it almost sarcastically. "When she should be in her ivory tower?" The undead soldiers laughed with their smaller leader.

"I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm surprised your father hasn't told you at all. I am what's left of the great warrior- the great leader\- Draven."

"So now you're but a reserve team coach?" She gave a snide smirk and crossed her arms while the soldiers behind him snickered and chuckled.

"Touche, child. Jokes aside, what brings you to this wretched place?" The undead man's facial expression changed dramatically from a smile to a restless and emotionless skull.. with no face.

"I'm here to find my mother, Hellion." And again, his expression changed from neutral to absolute rage.

"Hellion?! That mouth-breather was the one that killed me!"

"So you knew her..." She walked closer to the undead lord. "Please tell me what you know about her." They both sat in the middle of the ring. Draven gave a hand signal for his battalion to disperse while the two exchanged bandy.

* * *

The two had spent more than an hour talking, telling stories, spilling emotions. Necrosis felt betrayed, her father had kept this knowledge from her for practically all her life. Her mother... she never met her and his father never even acknowledged her. For what? It wasn't like he was protecting them from anything, so what harm was it to at least tell them that their own mother was no longer around?

"If I can't meet her in the flesh, can I meet her in spirit?" The young girl was still leaned in, her position unchanged by a single hair.

"Yes... how long ago was it when she passed?"

"About twelve years or so."

"From what I heard, the Judicator is flooded with new souls everyday.. there's no doubt her soul is still in waiting to be judged." Her yellow eyes sparkled with hope. She looked up to the gray sky, as she felt a small rain droplet on her head. "It's about to storm here. You're welcome to stay in the Eternal Throne until morning."

"Thank you, Draven." The specter rose and assisted her to stand.

"It's the least I can do for one of the Four's children." She smiled and walked along with the revenant, which lead her to the place where they would be staying.


	4. Chapter 4 - A Brand of Green

Chapter 4 - A Brand of Green

The red sun came in through the windowsill, as it did every morning in the land of the Dead. The warm rays of light crept upon her face like a serpent and bombarded her eyelids. The warmth was welcome, from the harsh and cold moonlight that was upon her face for the duration of the night. Within minutes, the young nephilim opened her eyes. The weight of tire still remained on her eyelids as she struggled to wake up. She took a deep inhale and sat up. Her tired arms had woken up with the movements she made. Necrosis crawled out of the bed made out of different types of furs and satin. Draven was nowhere to be found in the place. She could only assume that he had gone outside to coach his specter legion. There was no food in sight either, so breakfast was out of the question. She stepped outside and saw the ghost and his little ring of ghouls. His eyes darted to her almost immediately. She walked closer as Draven met her halfway.

"Thank you, Draven, for everything." She gave the ghost a smile, her red lips curving in a warming fashion. He smiled back and outstretched his ghastly hand, a piece of parchment in it.

"Here." He handed her a map of the area. "This map will help you to find the Judicator's tomb. You'll find it in the Spine, southeast from here."

"Thank you, so much." He extended his hand to her. She took it and gripped it tightly. This was the one tradition that almost every affiliation was familiar with. When a person extends their hand, it was a symbol of friendship and alliance. The tighter the grip, the stronger the friendship, and she made sure to grip his hand as tightly as she could.

* * *

She rode on her horse to the Spine, just as the map directed. She passed by the dry and barren landscape of the Dead Kingdom. Skeletons littered the entire area, dry and macabre. She didn't expect anything better or anything less in this place. In no time at all, she came upon the Judicator's tomb. The place looked small from the outside, but it was sure to be a full complicated maze on the inside. She came upon the front of the mausoleum, which, like all of the architecture in this world, had the same green glow. Green jewels were connected by a stream of spiritual energy in the shape of a hexagon with many triangles within. They were made of solid tungsten from what she could tell, as steel wasn't an item to easily come by in this place. The great and heavy doors wouldn't be opened easily, she needed some assistance- a crutch. There was no apparent way of getting inside, and there was no tool to open the door. If Wraith was here, he could summon some huge demon to open the doors. It was times like this where she really missed him. As obnoxious and immature as he was, he was still the little brother who she vowed to take care of. Although, she felt like she was being the worst big sister of her life, because she wasn't there at his side to watch over him. But Death was there, he would make sure he got into no trouble. In her thoughts, she lost her old train of thought. Wraith's key to everything was his necromancy. That was it! Even though she was terrible at necromancy, she could use some of the spells she already knew, though she might butcher them horrifically.

" _Itineris Obstruuntur Mihi Monstres Luceat Lux de Caelo._ " With the powerful words she recited, the answer came clear to her. She saw a bright light, and within that light was the Eternal Throne, and the Dead King sitting upon his throne with a green light pulsating in his palm. She didn't know what it meant. There were so many things that whatever it was she just saw could mean. Whatever that light in the Dead King's hand was, she needed it, and she would need it to get these doors to open. It wasn't going to be an easy task, she knew that much. The Dead King was always a tough nut to crack to most people, and she was no different from the commoners of this world. There was no 'special treatment' for anyone, unless it was royalty from a different world, and that was once in a blue moon's chance of happening. But in times like this, her father always told her to take the bull by the horns in any situation, no matter how dull or how sharp. If they were sharp, either accept the blow, or break it in your own hand. If they were dull, accept the blow, and keep fighting. She remembered these words like they were told to her yesterday, and it stuck with her ever since, and it just so happened that she needed those words more than ever in this moment.

* * *

From the Judicator's front door, Necrosis rode back to the Eternal Throne, the same dusty and dry scenery that she already knew passing by. She couldn't stop thinking about what the Dead King would have in store for her, if it wasn't easy enough for her to handle in the first place. She hoped that nothing would be too difficult, as she could barely fight, and she had little to no experience with necromancy. At least compared to Wraith.. She missed her little brother, more than anything. He was probably sitting alone in the glass room they would hide out in when it was rainy, and he was probably worrying himself mad about her. But the reason why she was gone was almost fate. It was destiny that she met Rephaim, and it was destiny that he would tell her about her deceased mother. It was only up to her to actually take a step in the right direction. She was the only one that would get herself out in the Kingdom of the Dead, and she was the only one that would find out the real secret of her mother, and why her own father would keep such crucial information from her. If she wouldn't get her father to talk, her mother, or what's left of her mother, will spill any details. She continued to ride in the dusty plains, the gritty and ashy ground beneath the hooves of her horse. It wasn't long before she reached the Throne, and passed by Draven and all the undead soldiers. She climbed the stairs and opened the surprisingly unguarded doors. She felt a hand on her shoulder, it was cold and sharp.

"Where do you think you're going little girl?" She forgot all about this one. It was the Chancellor, the Dead King's honorary lapdog.

"I don't have time for this, I need to see the King right this second." Her voice held a malicious and irritated tone, and she threw the bony hand off of her shoulder in a split second.

"The King is very busy at the moment, you see. He has no time for selfish little children, such as yourself."

"I am not a child, specter. And I would watch your tone, considering the fact that i _am_ the Grim Reaper's daughter."

" _OH_ , terribly sorry. I would grant you just a minute with the King, but..." the ghost sighed, sarcastically. "I don't feel like it. Ta-ta!" With that said, the ghoul descended into the earth. She stomped on the area where he went down and spat on it. She never felt that much hatred towards something that was already dead. Hopefully not all of them are like that. With the Chancellor out of sight, she walked behind her to the door of the throne room and opened the grand doors. There he sat a pile of bones, positioned upright in a gilded chair. The skeleton moved and a thick green light surrounded the dry bones.

"Who dares to wake the Dead King?"

"The daughter of Death."

"Oh, so you think that you can simply waltz into my kingdom and come into my throne room without consulting my Chancellor?"

"Actually, I already did, and he let me in." She chuckled silently.

"Very well... What is it you want, flesh?" His voice echoed and boomed throughout the room, nearly shattering her eardrums.

"I only pose one question," knelt down and bowed her head before the skeleton. "I wish to enter the Judicator's tomb, and seek only one soul."

"What soul?"

"The soul of my mother, Hellion." The old bones shifted in his seat at the name.

"That's a name I haven't heard in ages." The King mulled over the idea of giving her the brand. If he did, she would be out of his hair, and he wouldn't have to see her ever again. However, he didn't know what she would do with her power, though she claims to seek the soul of her mother. The 'getting her out of his hair' option seemed the best, in any case. The ancient spirit sighed heavily. "Fine. I will give you this mark, however it is not permanent, after one use, it will disappear, and its power will be null and void." Necrosis nodded in understanding. That meant she couldn't mess this up for anything, and if she did, it was time to give up on this search and find a way home. The King extended his hand and a bright green light shone from his hand. Necrosis held her hand forward. The sweet burn of the branding was all she needed to go through in order to see her mother. She almost smiled through the pain, but kept her composure. When the brand was finished, she looked upon her palm to see a rounded triangle, in cauterized flesh there. Within the triangle, there were many elaborate designs there that curved over her own natural hand print. It felt like nothing had been done, but the proof was there.

"Thank you, my king." Already knelt down, she put the freshly burned hand over her chest, paying her respect.

"Go now, flesh. The Eternal Throne is no longer in your convenience." He said it rudely, but he had given her the one thing she needed most. That mark was the ticket that she needed, and it only cost some burning on her hand. If she messed this up, there was no going back. After a while, she noticed that her hand was given a dull aura. She pulled her sleeve down to cover it. One of the guards standing next to the throne walked forward and showed her to the exit. She walked out of the grand throne room with a crude smile on her face, and her eyes dark.


	5. Chapter 5 - A Falling Sickness

Chapter 5 - A Falling Sickness

The great door slammed closed behind her, and she stepped out into the foyer of the Eternal Throne. Everything was the same as usual, as it should be. After she leaves this place, there will be no need to come back ever again, at least that much was certain. Being the daughter of Death, and never going to this kingdom, let alone really knowing about it was relatively strange, but she didn't have to come here. She didn't reap souls for a living. As she was walking out of the Eternal Throne, she heard a pair of footsteps running, practically a sprint. She stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that the pair of footsteps was coming from in front of her. The door ahead of her opened and her brother and father came through it. Her eyes widened in both shock and discontentment. She knew what Wraith and Death were here for; they wanted t take her back to the Oblivion Forest. She put on a false smile and accepted the warm embrace and the tears from her brother.

"Necrosis, we missed you so much," the young boy sniffled. He let her go and let her father give her a hug. He almost broke her rib cage with it, but it mostly knocked the breath out of her.

"How did you even find me?" In an instant, Wraith pulled the hexagonal jewel out of his pocket. She touched it, felt its heat and saw the Judicator's tomb. She gasped in both happiness and shock. If she could see the Judicator's tomb in broad daylight, then if she focused on just her mother, she could even see where she stands in line for judgement. But she would need to get her hands on the jewel first, if Wraith would cough it up easily enough.

"Let's get you home, Necrosis. You're probably starving."

* * *

The sun had become far out of eye's reach, and out came the moon with it's brilliant and white rays. Necrosis sat in her room, it was exactly how she left it. The bed left undone, clothes sprawled about carelessly and the same old blood from her previous nosebleed on the hard floor. Her father had brought her all of the foods she loved eating and made sure she wasn't sick after being in the Autumn of Life. All that time, she couldn't stop thinking about her mother and everything Draven had told her. The sword she carried on her back belonged to Hellion. The white hair she possessed came from Hellion. Everything about her was Hellion, and it made her sick to believe that her own father would keep this rich knowledge from both her and her brother. She looked at the brand on her palm. She needed to finish this, otherwise, everything she had done was in vain. Going through the pain to get the brand, being denounced from the Eternal Throne, the heartache that she brought upon her own family... It was all for nothing if she didn't finish this job. She stood up from her seat near the windowsill and walked to her brother's room. She gave the door three light taps and waited a while for her brother to open the door. He was dressed in his pajamas, a dark hoodie and baggy pants. "Yes, Necrosis?" He wiped his eyes and yawned. She probably just woke him up.

"Do you still have that jewel you showed me at the Eternal Throne?" The young boy receded into the darkened room and reemerged seconds later with the jewel. He asked no questions as he just wanted to go back to sleep. The door closed behind him after the jewel was handed to her in her delicate hand. She returned to her room, the blue trinket in hand. She sat on her bed and took a deep breath. She felt the ornament pulsing in her hand with each second. She cleared her mind and saw the Judicator's tomb. Within seconds, her vision zeroed in on her mother's soul. She was beautiful. Her eyes were a deep ox blood red, her hair white and her skin pale. She was very tall compared to the other souls in the tomb with her. There had to be a few hundred or so souls in front, and another five thousand behind her. That meant there wasn't much time to dawdle when it came time to actually go back to the tomb. She made herself a promise that she would go back to the Kingdom of the Dead, before anyone could notice, and come back home. She would leave at nightfall, the next day, after everyone had gone to sleep.

* * *

There was a still silence the next morning. She heard absolutely nothing, no birds outside, no crickets chirping, just the air blowing in through the window. She crawled out of her bed and grabbed her clothes for the day and headed into the bathroom. The fountain of water flowed, creating a very peaceful, trickling sound. It was the first thing she heard that she actually enjoyed. She cleansed herself and put her clothes on and looked around the house for her brother and father. She walked into the room of glass and saw Wraith pulling on the blue ribbon they both had tied on that tree years ago. With one last pull, the ribbon was torn roughly in two. She gasped and stumbled a bit. The young boy turned around slowly and looked up to meet her gaze. His eyes were black, his cheeks were with a light gaunt and his face was even more pale than usual. She felt a sudden sharp pang in her stomach. She put her hand over the affected area and averted her gaze from her brother below. She ran out of the room and went back to her own. She closed the door and walked over to her bed. She heard loud banging on the door. Her heart jumped in her own chest upon hearing the first knock. The banging wouldn't stop, she wondered who was on the other side. She walked back over and opened the door. No one was there. She stepped out into the hallway and didn't see anyone there. "You're weak." She heard the voice of her father behind her. She turned around in no time at all. His eyes were closed, the orange globes she's used to seeing hidden.

"Dad?" She waved her hand in front of his face. He wasn't wearing his mask, and she could see that his face was more sunken in and very sickly.

"You're weak." He repeated, slightly louder. She chuckled nervously. She heard her brother's footsteps coming up the stairs nearby. His newly black eyes were closed along with her father's.

"You're weak." They said it simultaneously. The nervous lump in her throat expanded and almost cut off her breathing. A sweat was starting to form on her forehead. She tried to back away from the two, but they followed.

"What's the matter with you two? You're acting strange," she coughed. Death gave a low chuckle and opened his black eyes.

"You're _weak_. You're going to die if you seek your mother." She didn't tell anyone about her plan.. especially her own father. She would amputate her right arm before telling her father that she was going to look for her mother. If Death never spoke about Hellion then the information wasn't for her ears.

"You don't know that."

"You're too weak to face her," Wraith called. She looked over to him, his black eyes haunting her. "You _will_ die if you go." Necrosis wasn't going to be swayed by some petty words.

"You can't stop me from meeting my mother," she protested. With those words said, Death grabbed her by the neck and put her in a hold that she couldn't even get out of. She struggled to move, as her father's huge arms were wrapped around her neck. If she made one wrong move, her breathing would be cut off. Wraith seized her hand and saw the brand there.

"You already have the brand of the Judicator." He threw her hand back down.

"I am dedicated to finding her, and you can't stop me." Her father chuckled and flexed his arm, cutting off her breathing. She scratched and clawed at the arm asphyxiating her, but there was some mental restriction against harming her own father. She tried grabbing his wrist, but the way he had her, there was little to no arm movement to be done. She felt her body trembling and being shaken violently. She coughed and choked, trying to get just one gasp of air.

It was in that moment when she was brought back to life. She jerked up, her forehead covered in sweat, and her chest burned. She looked out the window, seeing that everything was still gray, as usual. She darted off into the glass room and saw that the tree still had it's blue ribbon. With a sigh of relief, she left the room. On accident, she bumped into her father, coming out of her room. She assumed that he went in to wake her up, but she was already wide awake. His eyes were the same orange she was used to, and his face had returned to its regular fullness. Still with slight gaunt, but not sickly. She gasped upon first sight, but later then relaxed. Whatever that dream was, it had her more than on edge.

"Necrosis, are you okay? You look exhausted." He was right, she was exhausted. She felt the strength of gravity, and she could barely move her legs, but due to the panic from that dream, all the adrenaline kept her going and strong. She wiped her eyes and tried to wake her face up to any extent. Her eyes felt puffy, as if she had actually been asphyxiated and her throat felt particularly scratchy and raw.

"Yes.. I'm fine." She hoped to high heaven she was okay.

"Come join us downstairs. You need something to eat, you look famished." She nodded and climbed down the stairs with her father. Almost instantaneously, the amazing smell of her favorite meal hit her nose. She smiled and sat down with her family to eat.

"Necrosis, your aunt Fury and uncle War are visiting today." She sank into her chair slowly. She hadn't seen her extended family in years. All she remembered was her aunt Fury gave her a necklace that she has yet to wear, and her uncle War gave her an old key that she never found a lock for. If they saw that the items they gave her had collected dust, they would be disappointed. "They were really worried when the news that you had disappeared had gotten around. They don't know that you're here."

"What will you say to tell them that I'm here?" She took a handful of strawberries from the bowl next to her. Death chuckled.

"That, I do not know." They all shared a small laugh and continued to enjoy their breakfast.

* * *

After breakfast, Necrosis returned to her room to fix her face up enough to see her family. She sunk back into her bed, procrastinating on the task at hand. She could still feel the sting of the harsh words that stained her mind. She never thought that she could feel the after-burn of a dream. Usually, she would forget dreams, having them replaced with better memories. She looked at the brand on her hand, the green glow around it brighter than before. She touched it and a tail of green light found it's way on her fingertip. She hoisted herself up and out of the soft bed and put on her hoodie. She used the hem of the garment to wipe the look of exhaustion off her face and headed for the door. She could hear the indistinct conversations from downstairs, she could pick out some of the words, but they still weren't clear. She opened her door and heard the words clearer. They were talking about her. She heard her name and immediately felt her heart sink in her chest. When she got downstairs, she saw the two tall nephilim. Their eyes darted to her in an instant, their moods changing from worried to relieved. They ran to greet her, nearly tackling her with their strength combined.

"We were so worried when we heard what had happened, Necrosis." Fury was the more worried of the two. She loved her niece more than anything. Though she was Death's daughter, she was almost like the mother she never had. Fury took care of her and Wraith when Death was away, and she felt almost responsible for anything and everything that happened to the two. She would put her own life on the line for either of them. War didn't feel the same dedication, as he had more children than both of them, and he had to take full responsibility for all of them. He still loved his niece and nephew, nevertheless.

"I'm glad to be home." She wasn't, in all honesty. She wanted to find her mother, but her.. alive family was equally as important. She hadn't seen her extended family in years, and this was most likely the only time she would see them in another long while. She needed to decide when to go and find Hellion. That would be for a later hour, she needed to catch up with her family.

* * *

The sky turned dark and the shimmer of the moon and stars remained. It was nearing the time she had planned to leave to return to the Kingdom of the Dead, but she decided to stay for another week instead of going right away. Even though her mother was already about to be judged, she knew that her family needed her more than she needed to meet her mother. Even if she did decide to leave right at that moment, there still would be so many consequences that would be sure to follow. Her father would be more than frustrated, Wraith would never forgive her, Fury, Strife and War would be so disappointed in her. They told her in advance that something bad would happen, and what's worse than having the people she loves the most be angry and disappointed in her. And not to mention she just returned home less than twenty-four hours ago, and her father is exhausted and that her little brother is coming down with a sickness. He has a fever and all the regular symptoms. She needed to watch after him. Fury, Strife and War were always in and out of town, and they had their own families to take care of. She had to take up this responsibility and put everything else that wasn't important on the back burner for the while, just until Wraith's sickness was cleared and Death had gotten over the mental stress of her being gone for that short while that actually felt like a year. She sat in the glass room looking out at the starry sky. She would have to enjoy any luxury before she had to stay up all night to take care of Wraith. There wouldn't be much down time taking care of a sick child, and she knew that for a fact. She felt the vibrations of footsteps approaching her in the room. It was her father, who sat down with her in the room.

"Necrosis, I'm going away for a while. I need you to watch over your brother while I'm gone." The young girl pursed her lips. It seemed like everyone was leaving all at once and she was the first one to do so.

"How long will you be gone?"

"About five days. You can handle it." He smiled and kissed her forehead. With that, he left the room. She sighed, feeling the weight of even more responsibilities on her shoulders.


	6. Chapter 6 - Nosy Necromancer

Chapter 6 - Nosy Necromancer

It had been a few days since Death left on his journey to find some herbs for Wraith. Necrosis was the only one in the house that was there to keep him safe, as the rest of their family had gone back to their own children in different lands. There was a silence about the mansion, now that Death has gone. It felt unnatural with him gone. She walked into Wraith's room with a basin of hot water and a cloth. It was getting to be close to six or seven in the morning. For children their ages, they both woke up at a relatively early time. This would usually be the time that their father woke them up for classes and training on the weekends. Now that they were on vacation there was barely a need for the early schedule.

"Good morning," Necrosis called, causing Wraith to turn over in his sleep. She set the basin on the floor and shook her little brother softly to break his slumber. His eyes slowly opened and he sucked his teeth and attempted to go back to sleep. She softly hit him on the shoulder, a small laugh escaping his mouth. She dipped the cloth in the hot water and placed it on his forehead. The younger boy coughed weakly and sniffled. He looked worse than he did yesterday, she took note of that. There was only so much that this hot towel treatment would do for his sickness, but for the most part, it helped with his chills and fever.

"Necrosis," he started. "What were you doing in the Dead Kingdom?" She felt something kick her in the chest and she let out a small squeak. She was at a loss for words.

"It was actually an accident. I didn't know where that demon would transport me, and it just so happened to be there." True, but small lie slipped in. She stood up from her kneeling position at the side of his bed. "I'll be back with your breakfast." She slipped out of the room in a matter of seconds leaving Wraith with the fresh knowledge. He could sense that she was hiding something, just by the expression she made when he initially asked. She had to be lying. She returned with a plate of supposedly healing food. They all had a potent and rather unpleasant smell, but they were very flavorful. She set the plate in front of her brother and let him pick out the lesser of the evils and ate them first and saved the worst for last. He continued to eyeball the last items as if they were poisonous.

"I'm not leaving until you eat all of it, Wraith," she chuckled. He groaned dramatically and took small nibbles of the atrocious food. He decided to just get it all over with and he swallowed the item whole, nearly gagging. She laughed at the young boy and took up his place, returning it to the sink. Now that her younger brother was taken care of, Necrosis finally had some time to herself. She decided to go outside and practice with the sword her father had given her.

Wraith was still curious as to why she spent so much time in the Kingdom of the Dead, and why she found herself in the Eternal Throne. He pushed the covers off his body and hopped to the podium he kept for his book of spells. He skimmed over the table of contents until he found the spell he was looking for: lucid thoughts. He turned to the page in a split second. He read the page over carefully. The spell called for a hair of the target person's thoughts to hear. Necrosis sheds hair like a dog, it shouldn't be hard to find a hair anywhere. He darted to the bathroom and looked for a single hair. He found one and returned to the room. The book instructed that he would burn the hair and inhale the smoke. He did what the book instructed and read the incantation.

" _Obsecro Potentiam Cogitandi de Lucido Quod Soror Mea."_ He felt a sudden wave of fatigue hit him. He nearly collapsed on the stone floor but caught himself before he could fall. He heard nothing at first, but after a few seconds, he heard her thoughts clearly.

It took a few minutes before she started thinking about going back to the Kingdom of the Dead. She kept saying the name Hellion and Draven, like he knew who those people were.

 _"I'll find you, mother."_ That was the note that rang the loudest. Wraith always wondered who his mother was, but Death never brought her up, so he assumed that she was non-existant. But now that he's hearing her name, his curiosity has peaked. He went back to his book and read the antidote to the spell and returned to bed. So that was why Necrosis spent all that time there. But what business did she have in the Eternal Throne?

He would figure that out later..


	7. Chapter 7 - Escape Artist (Part 12)

Chapter 7 - Escape Artist (Part 1/2)

Wraith was finally healing up and his symptoms of sickness were leaving his body. He still had a splitting headache every morning and his body was sore for reasons unknown. Death returned earlier than anticipated with the medicine and herbs, which gave him a speedy recovery. With Necrosis' brother healing, she thought about, finally, devising a plan for leaving to the Judicator's Tomb. She hadn't the slightest idea how she would get back there and make it look as if it was an accident. She can't re-use the Taker strategy, there's no way she can ride there on time. As much as she knew, Hellion could be having her heart weighed right this second. She needed a new means of travel, and nothing was ringing a bell.

Her brother coughed and sniffled in the other room as she was crushing up some herbs for a tea. She heated the water as soon as the herbs were grinded enough to be steeped to make a tea. Whatever this herb was, her father swore by it. It was the 'miracle herb' that has been in the family for years and it always takes care of sickness in less than a week. She gave the hot cup to her brother to drink and retired to her own room to take a nap while her brain devised the perfect plan.

* * *

She woke up the following hour feeling rested and her mind was a new and blank canvas for her plan. She lay in her bed thinking of all the possible outcomes and consequences of leaving. Her father would, of course, worry his head off about it. Not just Death but Wraith too. However, on the other hand, she could have met Hellion, which outweighed the other consequences by a landslide. Meeting her mother was the only thing that seemed to be on her mind. Most times, she would forget to eat because she was so enthralled in that blue gem that Wraith took to find her. She couldn't stop staring at the line in front of her mother and the beauty that she possessed. She saw nothing but herself in her. It almost scared her how much she took after her. She got her mind back on track after getting off for a few minutes. She needed to choose an hour to leave at. She needed to leave when everyone was asleep and quiet enough for anyone to hear her stepping out the door. Her father never was one to go to sleep early. He would stay up, most nights reading ancient books and study their words down to the letter. Her brother on the other hand was still sick and he slept for the duration of the day, so he surely wasn't going to bed early. An early hour in the morning seemed to be the best option so far. Death's sleep schedule was nearly unpredictable. Some mornings he would wake up at 4 in the morning and other mornings he would wake up at 10. That grace period of time before 4 and in between 10 was more than enough to make her move. She would need to get plenty of rest before setting out at either 2 in the morning or 5 in the morning. Either way, it would be more than a challenge to pick herself up at that ungodly hour.

She took up all of her bed stuffs and went into the glass room, which is the only room in the whole mansion that can see the light from her father's room. Her brother being awake wouldn't be too much of a problem, as he barely opened his door to see what happens outside of it at an odd hour. She set her pillow and blanket down on the cold floor and for the remainder of the daylight she trained outside. Honing her skills with her sword was important. This wouldn't be all smooth sailing for her on this excursion. She needed to be prepared, and she needed to be able to protect herself- God forbid that ever happen. She would be able to defend herself in case something bad happened, which was of utmost importance.

Hours later, Necrosis was sweaty from the intense training. As exhausted as she was, she needed to continue working on her form, she wasn't satisfied in the slightest. She knew she could do better and she wasn't going to stop until she got what she wanted from this training. She slashed at the air countless times and still, she felt that it was still sloppy and unbalanced. Her hands were trembling with anxiety. She was afraid that she wasn't going to be able to survive and defend herself when the time comes. Death came out, after watching her for the past thirty minutes or so. He was watching her struggle and finally couldn't bear to watch another second. He grabbed a cup of water for her and approached her as she was still striking away at the air.

"Necrosis, take a rest for a while," said the reaper, handing her the glass. Her head whipped around to face him. Her hair was matted down on her sweaty face and her face was red from the harsh work. She dropped her sword and took the glass of water and gulped it down till nearly a quarter was left. The rest she splashed on her face, embracing the cool liquid to calm her over-heated face. "Why are you training so much? You missed dinner."

She sucked in her lip and clenched her eyes shut for a moment. "I wanted to be able to defend myself. I just got this sword and I barely know how to use it."

"So you decided to train on your own without supervision?"

She nodded, "..yes."

"Well, you have a weapons master right here. I could've shortened your training time."

"Is it still too late to train with you now?" She picked her sword back up and readied her stance.

"Of course not!" He pulled his twin scythes from his back and put them up in a guarding position.

The two trained for another hour before Death decided it was getting to be late. He was thoroughly exhausted and it was far too late to be reading the script he had planned for that night. He went straight to bed, kissing his children goodnight on the way.

Necrosis' plan was going swimmingly. All that is left is to get a wink of sleep before setting out to the field. Before going to sleep, she grabbed a piece of parchment from her bedroom and a thick black paint to write a note. She left it on her bed, hoping in her heart that her father would read it and not get his heart in a panic.. well, not so much of a panic. She returned to the glass room and rested her tired body for a few hours.


End file.
